Publisher's Weekly Review
The third mosaic novel in Kawaguchi's Before the Coffee Gets Cold series (after Tales from the Café) is melancholy and uplifting by turn. This installment moves north of Tokyo to Hakodate on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's main islands. There, in Café Donna Donna, customers can travel to the past following very specific rules: they must sit in a certain chair, they cannot leave the café and can only interact with past moments that have taken place within its walls,, and they must finish their coffee before it gets cold or they'll be stuck in the café as a ghost. Four travelers decide to risk it anyway--The Daughter, The Comedian, The Sister, and The Young Man. Three of their four stories concern visiting those who are now dead and, though their actions in the past cannot impact the reality of the present, their conversations do change how they feel, leaving each with a more positive take on their situation. Kawaguchi reinforces the time travelers' lesson of living without regret by having the café patrons read and discuss the fictional book What If the World Were Ending Tomorrow: One Hundred Questions. Meanwhile, the beautiful backdrop of Hakodate creates a lovely atmosphere. Readers looking for a nudge to live life to its fullest will find one here. (Nov.)
Booklist Review
In the third installment of the internationally best-selling Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, some of the familiar crew from Tokyo's Café Funiculi Funicula move to Hakodate's Café Donna Donna on Hokkaido after its proprietor, Yukari Tokita, leaves indefinitely for the U.S. to help a young boy find his vanished father. In the meantime, Yukari's son, Nagare, has come up from Tokyo to fill in for "his flighty and capricious" mother, along with his cousin Kazu and her seven-year-old daughter, Sachi, the newest coffee pourer. Just like Funiculi Funicula, Café Donna Donna is a portal for time traveling. New regulars appear here: wannabe comic Reiji, who initially asked for Nagare's help to keep Donna Donna open; psychiatrist Saki; and local university student Nanako. Kawaguchi repeats his four-part format to introduce another time-defying quartet: a woman who lost her parents, half of an award-winning comedy duo mourning his late wife, an older sister missing her younger sister, and an all-too-unaware lovesick lover. Once more, translator Geoffrey Trousselot provides English readers an opportunity to bask in another of Kawaguchi's gently winsome soul-warming tales.
Library Journal Review
Kawaguchi returns with the heart-warming third installment of his internationally best-selling series (following Before the Coffee Gets Cold and Tales from the Cafe). Instead of taking place at the small Tokyo café Funiculi Funicula, this story occurs at café Donna Donna in Hakodate, a city on the island of Hokkaido. As at Funiculi Funicula, Donna Donna customers are given the opportunity to travel back in time, but they must follow a list of rules, the most important one being they must return to the present before their cup of coffee gets cold. Like the two previous books, this title follows four new customers wanting to travel back in time: a daughter, a comedian, a sister, and a young man in love. The first and last stories, "The Daughter" and "The Young Man," are the standouts in this book. VERDICT Fans of Kawaguchi's series will enjoy this latest installment. While the stories are similar to previous ones, readers will enjoy reading about a new group of customers and seeing some familiar faces. Kawaguchi's comforting and thought-provoking book is perfect reading for cold winter nights.--Anna Kallemeyn
